Tikka Lounge

I moved to Poway a little over a month ago and am glad I discovered this place. I’ve eaten a lot of Indian food in my lifetime (I also make it at home) and their garlic naan is definitely in my top two favorites. As a vegetarian, I also appreciate that they have so many tasty options. Their lunch special is also a great deal! My boyfriend and I will definitely continue going here. We usually go about once a week 😅

This is a great place with good prices. It's not fancy at all, but the food is good.

This place has some seriously good food, and I highly recommend it! I’ve been coming here to get my Butter Chicken fix for years. Recently, I tried their lunch buffet with some coworkers and was impressed. My favorite Indian restaurant by far!

This place is the only Indian restaurant in Poway. It has everything and affordable. A variety of selection for vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Plenty of parking, indoor dining and tables outside. I got vegetable korma, tikka masala samosa, vegetable samosa, garlic naan and roti. Both samosas are fried and comes with mint and tamarind chutney. The vegetable one is stuffed with potatoes and come in 2 large pieces. The tikka masala samosa is layered in sauce and stuffed with vegetables and potatoes. It comes in about 6 small pieces. I got garlic naan and roti. Both are breads. Roti is unleavened and naan is leavened which means that it uses a raising agent where as roti is not so it’s flat. Both came out flat and tastes the same. The naan wasn’t puffy anymore and came out flat. Vegetable korma came with rice. It’s creamy and you could taste the nutty flavors. Had a bunch of vegetables, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, and snap peas.

Fabulous food. Best Indian food I've ever eaten outside India. 5 star ambience, food, customer service(Muskaan was very polite, she made sure we had a great dining experience). Will definitely come back soon.

My Le

This place is the only Indian restaurant in Poway. It has everything and affordable. A variety of selection for vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Plenty of parking, indoor dining and tables outside. I got vegetable korma, tikka masala samosa, vegetable samosa, garlic naan and roti. Both samosas are fried and comes with mint and tamarind chutney. The vegetable one is stuffed with potatoes and come in 2 large pieces. The tikka masala samosa is layered in sauce and stuffed with vegetables and potatoes. It comes in about 6 small pieces. I got garlic naan and roti. Both are breads. Roti is unleavened and naan is leavened which means that it uses a raising agent where as roti is not so it’s flat. Both came out flat and tastes the same. The naan wasn’t puffy anymore and came out flat. Vegetable korma came with rice. It’s creamy and you could taste the nutty flavors. Had a bunch of vegetables, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, and snap peas.

Rafiq M

Fabulous food. Best Indian food I've ever eaten outside India. 5 star ambience, food, customer service(Muskaan was very polite, she made sure we had a great dining experience). Will definitely come back soon.

I can't believe I just found this place! I got the $10 meal deal with butter chicken and garlic naan. MAN LET ME TELL YOU IT BLEW MY MIND AND I WAS SO FULL FOR ONLY $10?!? 6/5 ⭐️

Shane Mulligan

I can't believe I just found this place! I got the $10 meal deal with butter chicken and garlic naan. MAN LET ME TELL YOU IT BLEW MY MIND AND I WAS SO FULL FOR ONLY $10?!? 6/5 ⭐️

Gipi Ramacciotti

Great, tasty food! One of the best Indian restaurants in Tucson. We tried the chicken tikka masala, chicken curry, and mango chicken.

Ordering up front. The guy was super nice and helpful when I asked for vegan options he pointed them out for me. The stuff I got turned out to be way too hot for me. It’s my bad though I should’ve known Indian food was spicy. I went back up to front desk and asked if there were anything that’s not spicy at all & vegan. He was figuring it out with the kitchen and recommended me a lentil dish, even offered it to me free of charge. This man a goat I really appreciate him. Only downside is everything served in take out containers and plastic everything sadly :- (. Other than that it was dope.

Great food and very attentive service. I would give 5 stars overall, but really hate the plastic containers for dine in. I request the owners to please stop using so much of disposables and use good dinnerware. I forgot to take pictures, but by the time we finished we had a pile of plastics and no place to recycle. The food is absolutely delicious and I still recommend take outs so that the boxes can be reused/recycled at home. I really appreciate them providing me with custom vegan options which were not on the menu.

I came on a Sunday to dine in for lunch. Ordering was a little weird having restaurant menus but ordering at the counter. The food was very delicious and fairly priced. My problems were with the service. They acted as if I was a burden to them, not welcoming, never checked up on me, gave me an annoyed look when I asked for to-go containers. I was the only person in the restaurant at just past noon. So I'd recommend only getting takeout orders from here.

My husband was craving Indian food and we were in the Poway area so we decided to have dinner here. Service was good and the food was better than we expected. We ordered the chicken vindaloo and the dum ka chicken. Full of flavor and spicy! We ordered the $30 family meal and there was enough food for lunch the next day. We ordered the garlic naan and the garlic chili naan. Both were SO good though I wish they were a little thicker.

Came in with a group of coworkers and we all tried the weekday lunch special. It was a good dine in experience. The quality price and quantity of food was very good and satisfying. The chicken curry on top the veggie rice with chicken kabob and naan was my favorite.

My experience in this restaurant is bad!! I ordered with my family and he refused us to sit inside, after some time there is another family came and he allowed to sit them inside what the haxx? However the food was too oily and worst thing is in the curry accidentally some stone came into my mouth when I took out it was piece of glass!! Vety disappointed the food quality and the cleanliness. Wasted my money. This restaurant need to check by the food authorities.. Next Day: I called the owner and was very polite and nice person. I explained him what happened and he apologized and offer the best service once I come again. Because of his attitude I changed the star to 4. Thank you AB.

Really liked their mixed grill. Paneer was really well done on the grill. Overall all good taste were OK. I wound rate the the grill as 5*.

I went for the buffet. They had a hot, fresh variety of dishes. Their naan was super light and tasty. Prices are very reasonable. I love Indian food so I am glad there is an option near me.

Took a detour to grab lunch here on the way back from La Jolla - was a 15 mile ride to Poway and generally easy to find. As of date of posting the restaurant was only open for take out so we found a few tables by the side and ate there. It took a while for the food to be prepared, more than I had anticipated. However, the food was really good and we all enjoyed it, so well worth the wait. The naan was good sized. The entrees come with a large serving of rice. The paneer was soft and fresh. Overall, good meal.

Stopped in for my first time. Lounge is clean and neat. I do like the decor of tables, seats, and lights. I ordered the lunch special meal for $9.99. I ordered the curry chicken. This comes with the main entry (curry chicken), rice, Naan bread (i got the garlic version (2 pieces), and a drink, can of diet coke. The Naan is amazing....the curry chicken is amazing...rice is rice.... So food is great, price is good, atmosphere is fine while eating here. Now, it is important to provide effective criticism too. None of these will stop me from returning and trying different entrees. Oh yes, the bathroom is clean. 1. When dining in, it would be nice to eat with plates and bowls, instead of eating out of the to-go container. 2. Eating with the pre-packaged to-go tiny plastic wear while dining in is not so desirable. 3. Regarding the bathroom, yes, the bathroom is clean, but after you wash your hands, the garbage container with lid is near hand wash...when you leave, you cannot unlock and open door with paper towel and throw it away. Need small open lid container to allow customers to throw paper towel away at door.. (the door, near the door handle is the least clean thing in bathroom. Again, my criticism will not stop me from. Returning to eat again... Enjoy

It seems like this restaurant is undergoing menu changes that aren’t reflected on the website. Much of the food and deals on the old menu are not offered anymore. I’ve posted pictures of the latest menu with this review. Additionally this is a very casual place. The lunch was served in takeout containers with plastic utensils even when dining at the restaurant. That being said, I mostly liked the food. I got a chicken tikka masala lunch special and enjoyed the flavors in it. The garlic naan wasn’t anything special. It was a little too gummy for my taste.

George Toth Jr.

Stopped in for my first time. Lounge is clean and neat. I do like the decor of tables, seats, and lights. I ordered the lunch special meal for $9.99. I ordered the curry chicken. This comes with the main entry (curry chicken), rice, Naan bread (i got the garlic version (2 pieces), and a drink, can of diet coke. The Naan is amazing....the curry chicken is amazing...rice is rice.... So food is great, price is good, atmosphere is fine while eating here. Now, it is important to provide effective criticism too. None of these will stop me from returning and trying different entrees. Oh yes, the bathroom is clean. 1. When dining in, it would be nice to eat with plates and bowls, instead of eating out of the to-go container. 2. Eating with the pre-packaged to-go tiny plastic wear while dining in is not so desirable. 3. Regarding the bathroom, yes, the bathroom is clean, but after you wash your hands, the garbage container with lid is near hand wash...when you leave, you cannot unlock and open door with paper towel and throw it away. Need small open lid container to allow customers to throw paper towel away at door.. (the door, near the door handle is the least clean thing in bathroom. Again, my criticism will not stop me from. Returning to eat again... Enjoy

Beatriz Orozco

It seems like this restaurant is undergoing menu changes that aren’t reflected on the website. Much of the food and deals on the old menu are not offered anymore. I’ve posted pictures of the latest menu with this review. Additionally this is a very casual place. The lunch was served in takeout containers with plastic utensils even when dining at the restaurant. That being said, I mostly liked the food. I got a chicken tikka masala lunch special and enjoyed the flavors in it. The garlic naan wasn’t anything special. It was a little too gummy for my taste.

Sharon B

My husband was craving Indian food and we were in the Poway area so we decided to have dinner here. Service was good and the food was better than we expected. We ordered the chicken vindaloo and the dum ka chicken. Full of flavor and spicy! We ordered the $30 family meal and there was enough food for lunch the next day. We ordered the garlic naan and the garlic chili naan. Both were SO good though I wish they were a little thicker.

Brandon R

Came in with a group of coworkers and we all tried the weekday lunch special. It was a good dine in experience. The quality price and quantity of food was very good and satisfying. The chicken curry on top the veggie rice with chicken kabob and naan was my favorite.

Muhammad Naveed

My experience in this restaurant is bad!! I ordered with my family and he refused us to sit inside, after some time there is another family came and he allowed to sit them inside what the haxx? However the food was too oily and worst thing is in the curry accidentally some stone came into my mouth when I took out it was piece of glass!! Vety disappointed the food quality and the cleanliness. Wasted my money. This restaurant need to check by the food authorities.. Next Day: I called the owner and was very polite and nice person. I explained him what happened and he apologized and offer the best service once I come again. Because of his attitude I changed the star to 4. Thank you AB.

Rousseau Arulsamy

Really liked their mixed grill. Paneer was really well done on the grill. Overall all good taste were OK. I wound rate the the grill as 5*.

Ann Fisher

I went for the buffet. They had a hot, fresh variety of dishes. Their naan was super light and tasty. Prices are very reasonable. I love Indian food so I am glad there is an option near me.

Krishna Narasimhan

Took a detour to grab lunch here on the way back from La Jolla - was a 15 mile ride to Poway and generally easy to find. As of date of posting the restaurant was only open for take out so we found a few tables by the side and ate there. It took a while for the food to be prepared, more than I had anticipated. However, the food was really good and we all enjoyed it, so well worth the wait. The naan was good sized. The entrees come with a large serving of rice. The paneer was soft and fresh. Overall, good meal.

I ordered the family meal deal online through chow now. When I went to pick up my food I was advised that the tandoori chicken kabob I ordered is not apart of the deal. So I didn’t understand why it’s an option on the choices online then. I was told I had to “pick a curry”. My fiancé doesn’t eat curry. I asked if there was something similar to the tandoori chicken that I could choose instead that is apart of the deal and was told no. I was only allowed to pick from curries. I then offered to pay the difference so I could get what I actually ordered. I was charged $7 more so I could get the tandoori chicken. On top of the $27 I had already paid for the “family meal deal”. I will not be back.

I liked the food. But too expensive for what you get. First, rice is cheap, you need to give at least 3 times more rice than the amount you give with your combo plates, like Chinese restaurants do. Second, don't forget to give the customer the bread that comes with the combo plate! Third, need a better dressing with the salad. Other than that, the food tasted good. Hopefully, the owner will take this customer's advice :)

This place has switched owners several times since it opened. My preference was the first set of owners, because the food just seemed more fresh, and also the service was so friendly and excellent, and the food was not too spicy or too salty. The current owners are not exactly the friendliest, and the food is okay, but can be quite spicy and quite salty. It is pretty nice that they have a very affordable lunch buffet on weekdays, though, and that's why I'm giving them a 3-star rating, otherwise I might have given a lower rating. They definitely need to upgrade the quality of the food and service to match what it was under the original owners!

Stopped by with friends and had buffet on Friday. A lot of variety in the buffet. I sampled almost all the dishes; channa masala was my favorite. Buffet was a bit difficult to maneuver since it was along the wall and a dining table was very near. Poway is surprising me with restaurants that have striking artwork - Tikka Lounge is one of them.

Had the lunch special with butter chicken which was great! But initially trekked out here for the lunch buffet they list on their site. Unfortunately they dont seem to actually have a lunch buffet so docked stars for false advertising and disappointing a very pregnant lady craving a good variety of indian food.

Stopped by on the weekend for lunch. On the weekdays there appears to be a good lunch special, however on the weekend there isn't one and you order off the regular menu. After ordering, we were given paper plates+ plastic utensils and sat at any given table. Even when asking for water I had to buy a water bottle. Set up seemed unusual (some seats were literally in the doorway) and when the food arrived it all came in plastic take out containers. I guess most come here for takeout? Food was okay for the price (couldn't finish it all so nice we had take out containers?), but since we were looking for a dine in place would recommend only coming here if you want take out.

We stopped by here because I wanted Indian food. We found the employees not terribly friendly. All of the tables were dirty. The bathroom was dirty. That usually says something about the kitchen. Although the food tasted good to me the other person couldn't eat it because it was too spicy for them. I had asked if the food was spicy and they said no. The employees didn't seem to be happy or friendly.

update 6/18/25 - came for the lunch buffet - it’s GONE!! 😭. lunch specials jumped from $7.99 to $9.99, and service has gone down as well - the host leaves the premises and customers are turned away by the cooks since they’re unable to take any orders. - - - 2021: first time here and tried the lunch specials and did not disappoint. delicious, generous portions and the price was right. will definitely be our Indian lunch go-to spot!

Denise Woo

We stopped by here because I wanted Indian food. We found the employees not terribly friendly. All of the tables were dirty. The bathroom was dirty. That usually says something about the kitchen. Although the food tasted good to me the other person couldn't eat it because it was too spicy for them. I had asked if the food was spicy and they said no. The employees didn't seem to be happy or friendly.

Steph Marco

update 6/18/25 - came for the lunch buffet - it’s GONE!! 😭. lunch specials jumped from $7.99 to $9.99, and service has gone down as well - the host leaves the premises and customers are turned away by the cooks since they’re unable to take any orders. - - - 2021: first time here and tried the lunch specials and did not disappoint. delicious, generous portions and the price was right. will definitely be our Indian lunch go-to spot!

Janice Y

Stopped by on the weekend for lunch. On the weekdays there appears to be a good lunch special, however on the weekend there isn't one and you order off the regular menu. After ordering, we were given paper plates+ plastic utensils and sat at any given table. Even when asking for water I had to buy a water bottle. Set up seemed unusual (some seats were literally in the doorway) and when the food arrived it all came in plastic take out containers. I guess most come here for takeout? Food was okay for the price (couldn't finish it all so nice we had take out containers?), but since we were looking for a dine in place would recommend only coming here if you want take out.

We have only ever ordered carry out food from this place. Tried it for the first time last month and the food was ok. A little heavy on the spices but nothing too bad. So we went back the following week and it was a nightmare. The cottage cheese was chewy and stale tasting, food was way too heavy on spices and low on taste. Had to eventually throw it all away ! We ordered everything vegetarian so can’t review any meat items. Do not recommend and will not be going back.

This is not India food, weird flavors and shredded paneer that looked more like mozzarella.

went there based off their website and menu, its completely falsified and nothing matches the in-person menu and their online menu. 90% of the items were missing from the menu. The stars are for the food, it was good. The vibe and the false advertisement weren't it.

I placed an order of 2 entree (comes with rice) and 1 Naan at this place. As soon as I swiped my credit card, I realized that 2 entree and 1 Naan cost me $40 and there is family deal of $40 which includes 2 entree, 2 Rice, 2 Naan and 2 Drinks. I requested if my order could be changed but I was told that technically order was in the system and they cannot do anything about it. I could clearly see the staff in kitchen was just standing and had not started working on the order. Let me say that I was the only customer there at that time. Not sure if I understand clearly why the person who took my order could kindly refund the money and place a new order. Pricing on the menu probably needs to be reviewed and revised.

Vaidehi Iyer

I placed an order of 2 entree (comes with rice) and 1 Naan at this place. As soon as I swiped my credit card, I realized that 2 entree and 1 Naan cost me $40 and there is family deal of $40 which includes 2 entree, 2 Rice, 2 Naan and 2 Drinks. I requested if my order could be changed but I was told that technically order was in the system and they cannot do anything about it. I could clearly see the staff in kitchen was just standing and had not started working on the order. Let me say that I was the only customer there at that time. Not sure if I understand clearly why the person who took my order could kindly refund the money and place a new order. Pricing on the menu probably needs to be reviewed and revised.

I have been eating here for years, but it had been a while. I stopped by for takeout based on their websites pdf menu showing reasonable prices. When I ordered at the counter, the price was much higher than advertised. I understand that restaurants face inflation like consumers do, but that kind of price increase seems outrageous. At the very least Tikka Lounge, update the prices you post online because it’s false advertising. I will not be going back.

Have order same food 2-3 times in last one month - crispy cauliflower and chilli paneer, gave specific instructions about how to make. Same result-Pathetic. In fact today’s crispy cauliflower sucks. They mixed few days old cauliflower with a fresh one. Tastes very bad. Very much disappointed. I would not recommend this restaurant at all. Better be hungry.

This was my go to place & I would occasionally drive 30 mins to get some take out or dine in. Unfortunately they changed their menu & wow what a disappointment. I feel like they must be going under or something because it doesn't make sense why they would condense the menu this much. I'm not sure I wanna come back anymore.

I went inside to sit down and eat at 2:30pm and I was informed that the dining area was closed. It looked open though. Perhaps they should put a sign,and if the dine-in is closed ,wouldn’t it be wise that after we are informed to let us know the ordering alternative? Poor communication.

This place is loosing customers due to bad customer service. We order atleast 40 dollar worth of food everytime and ask for red and green chutney with it. Every other Indian place adds them without any fuss. This place makes a big deal to add them. We even tipped them on a take out order and they said they will add chutney but ended up not adding them. Save yourself the hassle and order at another Indian place

We got veg pulao delivered yesterday and there was a fly in the food. This is very unhygienic.

Second time in a month I have driven to the restaurant and they are closed 5-6 hours before listed. No signs for closure. You call the phone number and there is no voicemail about any closure. The first time we placed an online order and had to argue for the money back once we drove down from Ramona to a closed restaurant. There is an employee inside sitting at table in the dark and won’t answer any questions. A bit disappointing because their food is good.

Justin Harvey

Second time in a month I have driven to the restaurant and they are closed 5-6 hours before listed. No signs for closure. You call the phone number and there is no voicemail about any closure. The first time we placed an online order and had to argue for the money back once we drove down from Ramona to a closed restaurant. There is an employee inside sitting at table in the dark and won’t answer any questions. A bit disappointing because their food is good.

DO NOT ORDER ONLINE FROM THIS RESTAURANT! I’ve ordered through UBER EATS for a pick up. Went to the store to pick up the food, as the app says it was ready for pick up but the store was closed when I got there. Contacted uber eats for a refund but they refused stating that the merchant has accepted the order. Apparently, when the merchant accepted the orders uber eats can’t refund customers once order is cancelled. Attempted to call the store directly but no one is picking up. Don’t be tricked on ordering from them! Their website will say they’re open even though they are not. Not sure if they are temporarily or permanently closed. Would have given a zero star.

I came into the restaurant, I sat down and waited for someone to ask for my order no one came. I sat for 15 minutes. Can you believe that people in the back are watching me through the window but no one come out one guy came out and walked out the door, looking at his cell phone. So I went to the Darbar fine Indian cuisine far better place

I used to come here often for lunch because the food is good, but I’m done. Their posted hours say they close at 2:30, yet for the third time I showed up around 1:45 only to be told they were already closed because “the boss is gone” or “the machine isn’t working.” If you can’t stick to your own hours, don’t post them. Really disappointing—this used to be my regular spot, but I won’t be going back. Such a waste of time!!

The hours online and on the store signage is incorrect. Tried to walk in at 1:30 on a Friday afternoon and was told they were closed. After watching people pick up a few online orders, they locked the front door. Just be aware if you are bringing people to eat here, you may want to call first to check if they are open.

Kelvin West

I came into the restaurant, I sat down and waited for someone to ask for my order no one came. I sat for 15 minutes. Can you believe that people in the back are watching me through the window but no one come out one guy came out and walked out the door, looking at his cell phone. So I went to the Darbar fine Indian cuisine far better place

Huss

I used to come here often for lunch because the food is good, but I’m done. Their posted hours say they close at 2:30, yet for the third time I showed up around 1:45 only to be told they were already closed because “the boss is gone” or “the machine isn’t working.” If you can’t stick to your own hours, don’t post them. Really disappointing—this used to be my regular spot, but I won’t be going back. Such a waste of time!!

Lucas Weinland

The hours online and on the store signage is incorrect. Tried to walk in at 1:30 on a Friday afternoon and was told they were closed. After watching people pick up a few online orders, they locked the front door. Just be aware if you are bringing people to eat here, you may want to call first to check if they are open.